Operationally Responsive Space-1 (ORS-1) - Minotaur I - MARS LP-0B - 30.06.11 03:09 UTC

[Космос-3794]

Goodrich and ATK are beginning to manufacture a one-of-a-kind reconnaissance satellite that will be launched by the end of next year to support urgent needs from military leaders overseeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Called Operationally Responsive Space-1 (ORS-1), the spacecraft is needed to provide a new layer of electro-optical and infrared reconnaissance to airborne collectors, such as unmanned aerial systems and high-altitude aircraft, as well as to the sophisticated national intelligence satellites overhead.
The key advantages of ORS-1 will be its quick launch—the goal is to loft it within 24 months of authorization to build (which came late last year)—and its ability to peer into places such as Iran, where allied aircraft cannot spy.
Additionally, unlike national systems, ORS-1's EO/IR sensor will be tasked directly by military leaders in U.S. Central Command (Centcom).
The payload is derived from Goodrich's work on the U-2's highly sophisticated EO/IR camera, the most recent generation of which is the Senior Year Electro-Optical Reconnaissance System (Syers) 2A.
The satellite, which will top out at about 450 kg. (990 lb.), will be boosted by a Minotaur-1 into an orbit chosen for its suitability to overfly Centcom multiple times a day.
ORS-1 will be housed on the same ATK bus that was used for Tacsat-3, also a quick-reaction satellite. However, unlike Tacsat-3, ORS-1's bus will include a propulsion module. The requirement is to last one year in orbit; but Cox says there will be sufficient fuel for 2-4 years of operation, depending on how much station-keeping and maneuvering is needed.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/ORS1-120809.xml&headline=ORS-1%20On%20Track%20For%202010%20Launch&channel=defense

[Космос-3794]

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) celebrated a major milestone today as it prepares to conduct final testing and ship the Operational Responsive Space-1 (ORS-1) satellite bus, after building it in just 16 months. The bus will be shipped to Goodrich Corporation for integration of the payload in preparation for launch later this year.
ORS-1 is part of the United States Department of Defense's (DoD) ORS program that focuses on using small satellites and launch vehicles to provide innovative sensor technologies to the commanders in the battlefield, and doing so in shortened timeframes and in more affordable ways.  The ORS-1 program supports Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) needs, by providing innovative sensor systems that range across multiple spectrums.  
ATK is under contract to Goodrich, the overall spacecraft integrator of the ORS-1 satellite system. ORS-1 will provide color pictures of regions selected by ground force commanders, and use existing ground systems to process and distribute the images and other information out to the battlefield. The system is designed to support urgent military needs, while establishing a foundation that will advance the multi-mission modular approach required for future ORS satellites.

http://atk.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=118&item=1002

[Sharicoff]

ORS-1 Sensor Damaged, But Satellite is on Schedule

    Work on a secondary instrument for a Pentagon reconnaissance satellite was interrupted when two of the sensor's focal planes were broken by a subcontractor, but the spacecraft remains on schedule for launch in November, according to the U.S. Air Force.

    Fairchild Imaging of Milpitas, Calif., is under contract to provide the sensor for a secondary imaging payload that will fly on the ORS-1 satellite. The company irreparably damaged one of the focal planes Feb. 24, and then another on March 13, Air Force spokeswoman Valerie Skarupa said in an e-mailed response to questions. Spare parts will be used to assemble a replacement unit, and the satellite remains on track for its planned launch date, she said.

    The ORS-1 is being built to provide reconnaissance data to U.S. Central Command. It is being managed by the Air Force's Space Development and Test Wing on behalf of the Pentagon's Operationally Responsive Space Office. Goodrich ISR Systems of Danbury, Conn., is the ORS-1 prime contractor and is building the satellite's primary sensor, a modified U-2 spy plane camera.

http://www.spacenews.com/military/031910ors-1-sensor-damaged.html

[Pol]

http://www.comspacewatch.com/news/viewpr.rss.html?pid=31920

PRESS RELEASE
Date Released: Friday, October 22, 2010
Source: Goodrich Corporation
Goodrich Achieves Major Integration Milestone on ORS-1 Satellite
Goodrich Corporation (NYSE:GR) has successfully integrated its electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensor payload with the spacecraft bus for ORS-1, the first satellite in the Operationally Responsive Space program designed to support Combatant Command operations. The successful integration effort paves the way for environmental and acceptance testing, the next steps of the program which lead to satellite delivery in the fourth quarter of 2010. The integration activity took place at Goodrich's ISR Systems facility in Danbury, Conn.

"The integration of the payload and spacecraft bus is a major milestone that moves this important program another step closer to delivering critical ISR capabilities to the warfighter," said Andreas Nonnenmacher, Goodrich ISR Systems' vice president.

The ORS-1 satellite will provide a multi-spectral imaging capability to support U.S. Central Command's Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission needs.

Goodrich, the lead systems integrator for the ORS-1 program, is providing the satellite's sensor payload. The payload leverages the latest evolution of the Goodrich SYERS-2 multi-spectral sensor, the primary imaging sensor used on the U-2 reconnaissance plane. Goodrich is also providing a ground segment that formats the data from the sensor payload to be compatible with the downstream processing, exploitation, and dissemination used for the operational SYERS-2 sensor. The ORS-1 spacecraft bus is built by ATK Space Systems and is based on their TacSat-3 bus. It includes an integrated propulsion system as well as other critical subsystems for communications, attitude control, thermal control, command and data handling.

[Pol]

ORS-1 Spacecraft Bus (photo courtesy ATK)

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http://www.spacenews.com/military/101012-ors1-april-launch.html

Fri, 10 December, 2010
ORS-1 Satellite Now Set for April Launch[/size]
By Space News Staff

   
        The ATK Space Systems-built ORS-1 satellite. Credit: ATK photo Enlarge Image

    Goodrich ISR Systems of Danbury, Conn., is finishing environmental testing of the final component to be installed on a new tactical surveillance satellite now planned for launch in April 2011, U.S. Defense Department officials said Dec. 9.

    Launch of the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office's ORS-1 satellite was previously planned for this fall, but it has been delayed by challenges with its imaging payload, which is a variant of the unit flown on U-2 spy planes. Prime contractor Goodrich, for example, had trouble getting the payload's camera properly aligned, said Tom Davis, the ORS-1 mission manager. The most recent complications have been with the payload's digital data storage unit, Davis said.

    Engineers hope to have the data storage unit installed this month so that environmental testing of the integrated satellite can be completed in January, he said. The satellite then will be shipped off for launch aboard a Minotaur-1 rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

    The satellite could have been ready to launch before April, but because there is only one launch crew for all the Minotaur rockets, a logjam has developed, ORS Office Director Peter Wegner said in an interview. ORS-1 is now behind a U.S. National Reconnaissance Office technology demonstration mission in the launch queue.

    "We need to look at our launch operations and try to streamline the way that we're doing things," Wegner said. "It really has become a constraint for us."

    To ensure the nation has more ready access to space, the ORS Office will study the options for either adding a second Minotaur launch crew or using commercial launch providers, Wegner said. The Pentagon would have to work through new issues such as launch insurance and indemnification if it wants to use commercial rockets to launch operational satellites in the future, he said.

[Salo]

http://atk.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=118&item=1002

ATK Prepares to Ship the Operationally Responsive Space-1 (ORS-1) Bus[/size]
Small Satellite Developed to Respond to Urgent Military Needs
ATK Remains the Only Provider of Operational ORS Spacecraft Busses

Feb 17, 2010

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) celebrated a major milestone today as it prepares to conduct final testing and ship the Operational Responsive Space-1 (ORS-1) satellite bus, after building it in just 16 months. The bus will be shipped to Goodrich Corporation for integration of the payload in preparation for launch later this year.

ORS-1 is part of the United States Department of Defense's (DoD) ORS program that focuses on using small satellites and launch vehicles to provide innovative sensor technologies to the commanders in the battlefield, and doing so in shortened timeframes and in more affordable ways.  The ORS-1 program supports Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) needs, by providing innovative sensor systems that range across multiple spectrums.  

The satellite bus is based on the design ATK developed for the successful TacSat-3 satellite with the addition of a propulsion module. ATK built the bus at its Beltsville, MD facility. One of the goals of the program is to develop satellite buses with standard interfaces that allow for different sensors to be used for specific missions.

"Being able to build these satellites fast, and tailor them to the precise user needs, provides the commanders and the war fighter unprecedented capability," said Blake Larson, president of ATK Space Systems. "As we continue to build and operate satellites and develop more plug and play technologies, we will revolutionize how this nation responds to a threat."

Several key individuals were in attendance at the ATK celebration including local officials, representatives from the Pentagon and Congress including Senator Barbara Mikulski.

"I'm proud of the work being done at ATK in Beltsville to revolutionize satellites, create jobs in Maryland, and protect America. ATK Beltsville is a vital part of Maryland's space economy. The ORS-1 satellite bus is leaner, meaner, quicker to build and less costly to taxpayers than traditional satellites," said Senator Mikulski, chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Committee. "Finding quicker ways to put satellites into orbit will create jobs while leading to critical commercial, civil and national security information that will protect our nation and our troops overseas."

TacSat-3 was the earlier demonstration program that led to ORS-1. It was successfully launched last year and continues to perform well as an operational resource.

"The successful rapid development and launch of TacSat-3 established ATK as the first and only provider of an operational ORS bus," said Tom Wilson, vice president and general manager, ATK Spacecraft Systems & Services. "We look forward to using our flight-proven technologies in future missions."

ATK is under contract to Goodrich, the overall spacecraft integrator of the ORS-1 satellite system. ORS-1 will provide color pictures of regions selected by ground force commanders, and use existing ground systems to process and distribute the images and other information out to the battlefield. The system is designed to support urgent military needs, while establishing a foundation that will advance the multi-mission modular approach required for future ORS satellites.

The Operationally Responsive Space Office (ORS Office) is a joint initiative of several agencies within the DoD responsible for integrating joint ORS capabilities and for applying ORS resources to the development, acquisition and demonstration of capabilities to meet specific responsive space needs as established by global combatant command joint force commanders and users. The ORS-1 Program is managed by the Space Development and Test Wing located at Kirtland Air Force base with support from the ORS Office.

ATK is a premier aerospace and defense company with more than 18,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and revenues of approximately $4.8 billion.  News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com.

Certain information discussed in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although ATK believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Among those factors are: assumptions related to the challenges of developing next-generation space launch vehicles; changes in governmental spending, budgetary policies and product sourcing strategies; the company's competitive environment; the terms and timing of awards and contracts; and economic conditions. ATK undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For further information on factors that could impact ATK, and statements contained herein, please refer to ATK's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/launches.php

NET 5/20/2011     ORS-1      Minotaur I

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

May 30     Minotaur 1  •  ORS 1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Pad 0B, Wallops Island, Va.

The Air Force Minotaur 1 rocket will launch the Operationally Responsive Space 1, or ORS 1, satellite. ORS 1 will support the military's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance needs by hosting an innovative sensor system. Delayed from Dec. 10, January, April 6 and May 30. [April 14]

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1104/15minotaur/

Minotaur launch schedule in limbo after Taurus mishap[/size]
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: April 15, 2011

Two small U.S. military satellites are queued up and waiting to ride into space on Minotaur rockets in May, but managers want to make sure the boosters are immune from the glitch that doomed the launch of a NASA science mission in March.
    
 NASA and Orbital Sciences Corp. are investigating the cause of the March 4 failure of a Taurus XL rocket that destroyed the $424 million Glory mission, a NASA climate research satellite designed to study the atmosphere and the sun's relationship with Earth.

The clamshell-like nose cone responsible for the March 4 Taurus mishap uses similar components as the Minotaur 1 and Minotaur 4 launch vehicles being prepared for a pair of flights in May.

"They are both potentially affected because of similar components," said Lou Amorosi, the Orbital Sciences senior vice president for the Minotaur program. "We are hoping to show separation from Taurus within the next couple of weeks through testing of those components."

Amorosi declined to elaborate on the progress of the Taurus investigation.

A Minotaur 4 rocket is being prepared for liftoff as soon as May 14 from Kodiak, Alaska. Its payload will be the Naval Research Laboratory's TacSat 4 experimental communications satellite.

Workers at Wallops Island, Va., have already stacked a smaller Minotaur 1 rocket on the launch pad. Liftoff from Virginia's Eastern Shore is scheduled for no earlier than May 30 with the U.S. military's ORS 1 spacecraft, a tactical Earth observation satellite for the Pentagon's Operationally Responsive Space office.

TacSat 4 is already at its Alaska launch site, and ORS 1 is awaiting shipment to Virginia.

Orbital Sciences is the prime contractor for the Taurus and Minotaur rocket families.

Amorosi said Thursday there is "no decision yet" on which launch will be allowed to proceed first.

"The satellites are ready, but we are waiting for the Taurus/Glory failure review board to exonerate Minotaur 1 and 4 before we launch," said Peter Wegner, director of the ORS program.

The Taurus rocket's 63-inch-diameter nose shroud failed to separate in the March 4 launch anomaly. The payload fairing, which shields sensitive satellites on the launch pad and through flight in the lower atmosphere, was supposed to fall away a few minutes after blastoff when the Taurus rocket reached the edge of space.

But the two halves of the fairing did not jettison and clung to the rocket as it ascended into space. The extra mass of the nose cone meant the Taurus XL didn't have enough power to propel the Glory satellite into a stable orbit.

Officials say the rocket's upper stage and payload likely splashed down somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

It was the second payload fairing separation failure in a row for the Taurus rocket. Another NASA science satellite was lost under nearly identical circumstances in February 2009.

Investigators probing the 2009 launch failure did not find a root cause, but officials identified a most probable cause in the hot-gas system that initiates the payload fairing separation.

Orbital Sciences turned to a different cold-gas system successfully demonstrated three times on the Minotaur 4 rocket.

Officials haven't released any preliminary findings on the March 4 anomaly.

[Salo]

http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/launches.php

NET 6/10/2011  ORS-1  Minotaur I   NASA Wallops Flight Facility    (Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Wallops Island, Virginia)

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http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/launches.php

NET 6/13/2011   ORS-1

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

June 18     Minotaur 1  •  ORS 1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Pad 0B, Wallops Island, Va.

The Air Force Minotaur 1 rocket will launch the Operationally Responsive Space 1, or ORS 1, satellite. ORS 1 will support the military's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance needs by hosting an innovative sensor system. Delayed from Dec. 10, January, April 6, May 20, May 30, June 10 and June 13. [May 4]

[Брабонт]

The key advantages of ORS-1 will be its quick launch

Delayed from Dec. 10, January, April 6, May 20, May 30, June 10 and June 13.

[Pol]

06/13   MINOTAUR/ORS-1   4/2   0000Z   0000Z-0300Z

[Salo]

http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/launches.php

NET 6/18/2011   ORS-1

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

June 18     Minotaur 1  •  ORS 1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Pad 0B, Wallops Island, Va.

The Air Force Minotaur 1 rocket will launch the Operationally Responsive Space 1, or ORS 1, satellite. ORS 1 will support the military's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance needs by hosting an innovative sensor system. Delayed from Dec. 10, January, April 6, May 20, May 30, June 10 and June 13. [May 6]

[Salo]

http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/launches.php

NET 6/30/2011   ORS-1 Minotaur I

[Pol]

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1135564703

May 22, 2011

L.A.F.B. / SMC... ORS-1 Is Virginia-Bound (Satellite)

Another major milestone has been met as all get set to ship an important military satellite to its launch site...

The Space Development and Test Directorate, in concert with the Operationally Responsive Space Office, is marking a major milestone May 20, 2011, as the ORS-1 space vehicle is approved to ship to NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va., for integration with a Minotaur I launch vehicle. ORS-1 is the first satellite in the DoD's ORS program designed to support Combatant Command operations as an operational prototype. The payload leverages a SYERS-2 sensor, the primary imaging sensor on the U-2 reconnaissance plane. The ORS-1 payload was built by The Goodrich Corporation, who also served as prime contractor, while the spacecraft bus was built by ATK Spacecraft Systems & Services, Beltsville, Md. It includes an integrated propulsion system as well as other critical subsystems for communications, attitude control, thermal control and command and data handling. ORS-1 will provide crucial battlespace awareness supporting U.S. Central Command.

"This team has just accomplished the impossible by building an operationally relevant satellite in a mere 30 months," said Col. Carol Welsch, acting director of the Space Development and Test Directorate. "We're excited to field this important capability to meet a U.S. CENTCOM urgent need." Added ORS Office Director, Dr. Peter Wegner, "This is a significant accomplishment in driving towards the ORS mission end-state to provide "assured space power focused on timely satisfaction of Joint Force Commanders' needs," and I couldn't be prouder of how the entire ORS Team pulled together this achievement."

The ORS-1 Program is managed and executed by the Space Development & Test Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. SMC/SD is executing the program for the ORS Office, which is a joint initiative of several agencies within the DoD responsible for integrating joint ORS capabilities and applying ORS resources to the development, acquisition and demonstration of capabilities to meet specific responsive space needs as established by global combatant command joint force commanders and users. SMC/SD also led the development and acquisition of the Multi-Mission Space Operations Center round system, which will be used to support ORS-1. Operations will be performed by the 50th Space Wing's 1st Space Operations Squadron once ORS-1 is on orbit. ORS-1 will complete launch-site testing, vehicle checkout, and launch vehicle integration and closeout at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in preparation for launch early this summer from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, a commercial spaceport owned by the Virginia Commercial Flight Authority located at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility.

[Salo]

http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/launches.php

NET 6/27/2011   ORS-1   Minotaur I

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

June 28/29     Minotaur 1  •  ORS 1
Launch time: 0028 GMT on 29th (8:28 p.m. EDT on 28th)
Launch site: Pad 0B, Wallops Island, Va.

The Air Force Minotaur 1 rocket will launch the Operationally Responsive Space 1, or ORS 1, satellite. ORS 1 will support the military's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance needs by hosting an innovative sensor system. Delayed from Dec. 10, January, April 6, May 20, May 30, June 10, June 13 and June 18. [June 14]

[Sharicoff]

Трансляция ожидается тут: http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/webcast/

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http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/missions/orsinfo.html

ORS-1 Launch Information[/size]
06.16.11
 
Mission Information
NASA's Wallops Flight Facility will support the launch of the Department of Defense Operationally Responsive Space Office's ORS-1 satellite aboard an U.S. Air Force Minotaur I rocket.

Launch Window: June 28- July 10
Time: 8:28 - 11:28 p.m. EDT

ORS-1 is the Operationally Responsive Space Office's first operational satellite. Rapidly developing and fielding ORS-1 is an important step to demonstrate the capability to meet emerging and persistent war-fighter needs on operationally relevant timelines.

ORS-1 will be launched onboard a Minotaur I rocket, integrated by Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC). The Minotaur I is a four-stage vehicle, two stages being refurbished Minuteman II stages and the other two stages being OSC developed. The Minotaur is about 70 feet tall and 5 feet wide.

This will be the fourth Minotaur I rocket launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport since December 2006.

Viewing the Launch
The launch may be visible, depending on cloud cover and one's viewing location, in the eastern United States from southern New York to North Carolina. It may be seen as far west from the Atlantic Coast as West Virginia and all of Pennsylvania.

Locally, the NASA Visitor Center on Va. Route 175 and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge/Assateague National Seashore will be open to view the launch. Regionally, the launch may also be seen from the beaches at Ocean City, Md., and Virginia Beach, Va.

Launch Status:
Prior to launch day, updates on the status of the launch will be provided on this website and on the
Wallops launch status line at 757-824-2050.
NASA Radio Station 760 AM (This has a range of 5 to 10 miles from the NASA Visitor Center)
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NASA_wallops
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASAWFF

On the day of the launch, status updates will be provided on:
Status Line: 757-824-2050
NASA Radio Station 760 AM (This has a range of 5 to 10 miles from the NASA Visitor Center)
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Radio Station 1610 AM
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NASA_wallops
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASAWFF
Web cast: http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/webcast
Commercial Radio Station WCTG (96.5 FM)

[Salo]

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2011/06/22/10.xml&headline=Northrop%20Looks%20To%20ORS%20To%20Stabilize%20Space%20Base

Northrop Looks To ORS To Stabilize Space Base
[/size]
Jun 22, 2011
 
By Amy Butler

LE BOURGET — Northrop Grumman is looking to diversify and expand its space business, including a foray into the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) area, to stabilize that portion of its portfolio, says Gary Ervin, president of Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.

Ervin says that the company has been downsizing its space workforce in recent years to adjust to reduced funding from the government and fewer programmatic options on the horizon. Ervin acknowledges that in the past Northrop's space business has been known for building large, innovative and complex systems. However, those are few and far between as the Air Force focuses on simply producing existing satellite designs for infrared missile warning and communications work.

To stabilize the ebbs and flows in available funding for large space programs, Ervin says he is turning to smaller projects. One such project was Northrop's win of work to design a "modular space vehicle," which could be a template for a standard bus design for small ORS missions. ORS fields small satellites for very specific missions that typically last only a few years in orbit. While that contrasts to the 15-year lifespan of many of the large Air Force satellites, the cost is dramatically lower.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

June 28/29     Minotaur 1  •  ORS 1
Launch window: 0028-0328 GMT on 29th (8:28-11:28 p.m. EDT on 28th)

[Sharicoff]

http://yfrog.com/kluppdj

[Salo]

http://www.marsspaceport.com/content/docs/ORS.pdf

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http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-wallops-ors-launch-20110624,0,358905,full.story

Rocket launch set for Tuesday at Wallops will be visible for most of Mid-Atlantic[/size]

ORS-1 satellite will ride Minotaur rocket.


The satellite "bus" made by ATK in Maryland. (Handout photo / June 25, 2011)
By Frank D. Roylance, The Baltimore Sun

10:18 a.m. EDT, June 25, 2011
If skies are clear and all goes well Tuesday evening, observers throughout Maryland and much of the Mid-Atlantic region should be able to watch a big rocket launch from Virginia's Wallops Island.

The Air Force will attempt to launch a battlefield imaging satellite into orbit from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. The ORS-1 satellite will ride atop a four-stage, solid-fuel Minotaur 1 rocket, the largest ever launched from the Delmarva peninsula.

Previous Minotaur launches have been seen from as far away as southern New England, eastern North Carolina and the eastern half of West Virginia. But visitors to the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia beaches will have a front-row seat.

"The weather looks generally good through the opening of the launch window Tuesday night," said Ron Walsh, NASA's project manager at Wallops. "We're very optimistic at this point ... although thunderstorms can always arise, especially in the late afternoon and evening hours."

The launch window opens at 8:28 p.m. and closes at 11:28 p.m. If the launch is scrubbed, subsequent attempts will follow nightly through July 10, except for a three-day window around the planned launch of the space shuttle Atlantis from Cape Canaveral, Fla., set for July 8.

The ORS-1 is the first operational version of the Air Force's Operationally Responsive Space satellite series. The satellites are designed to provide battlefield commanders with space-based observational capabilities within time frames of days or weeks.

This satellite was conceived, designed, built and readied for launch in just 30 months.

"This is incredibly fast for a military space capability acquisition," said Peter Wegner, director of the Pentagon's Operationally Responsive Space Office. "I've seen many take in excess of 12 years."

The satellite's "bus" — the structure, power, communications, control and guidance systems — was developed and built by ATK Aerospace Systems Group's Beltsville facility and tested at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab near Laurel.

Brendan Regan, an ATK vice president, said the work took just 17 months and employed the equivalent of 80 full-time workers. "We'd like to sell many, many more to the Air Force and to our partners," he said.

The 70-foot-tall Minotaur 1 rocket is a hybrid developed by Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp. The first two stages come from decommissioned Minuteman ballistic missiles. The top two were developed by OSC and integrated with the Minuteman.

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport was built on NASA property at Wallops in 1998 by the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority. Maryland joined the venture in 2004 to help spur growth of the aerospace and launch-service industries.

Other partners include NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration and Old Dominion University.

MARS was a slow starter, but business seems to be picking up. The first Minotaur launch from the spaceport, in December 2006, was the facility's first successful commercial launch. It carried two satellites: an 814-pound TacSat-2 satellite, a prototype for the ORS-1, intended to test the Air Force's ability to design, build and launch a satellite in 15 months; and a NASA biological experiment called GeneSat1.

The rocket's flame and contrail were visible in daylight from Baltimore.

Two more Minotaur launches followed. An April 2007 launch of the Pentagon's experimental NFIRE satellite was obscured by clouds.

The third, in May 2009, carried a TacSat-3 satellite, a NASA biomedical experiment called PharmaSat, and three, 2-pound "pico-satellites" built by university and private customers. Its contrail was visible from Fells Point, in the southeastern sky.

Recent reconstruction of Pad O-A will allow the launch of bigger, liquid-fueled Taurus rockets designated to carry cargo to the International Space Station now that the shuttle program is ending.

"A hot-fire test is scheduled for the autumn, and they've added an interim, demonstration launch ... for mid-December," said spaceport spokeswoman Laurie Naismith.

The December launch will carry a supply craft close to the space station to show that it can make the flight safely. Taurus 2 cargo flights from Wallops would begin in 2013, with two each year through 2015. The craft are to take supplies up, pick up space station refuse and incinerate it as the craft falls through the atmosphere.

The Virginia spaceport is also under contract with NASA to launch the port's first spacecraft to the moon — the Lunar Atmospheric Dust Explorer, or LADE (pronounced "Laddie"), atop a Minotaur 4 or 5 rocket. That is scheduled for May 2013.

"We're all thrilled and excited," Naismith said. "We see a good, solid future for MARS."

Upgrades to Pad O-A, including construction of the largest (200,000 gallons) water tank of its kind in the world, brought at least 700 workers to the spaceport for a minimum of 60 days, she said. They included electricians, cement workers, steamfitters, welders and others.

Wallops Island is near Chincoteague, Va., 47 miles south of http://www.baltimoresun.com/travel/beaches/, and 115 miles south-southeast of Baltimore.

Tuesday's launch would come after sunset, making it easier to see, provided skies are clear and the view unobstructed.

Spectators can go to the NASA Wallops visitor's center or to the Assateague Island beaches. They can follow the countdown via Twitter, Facebook, launch status telephone lines and local radio.[/size]

[Sharicoff]

Весьма вероятен перенос пуска по погодным условиям.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/ors1/110627preview/

Tactical military satellite due for launch on Minotaur rocket[/size]
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: June 27, 2011

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The U.S. Air Force plans to launch a $226 million mission aboard a Minotaur rocket Tuesday to reshape how deployed forces receive battlefield imagery from space, a breakthrough in the Pentagon's program to field tactical satellites on smaller budgets and faster schedules.


The Minotaur 1 rocket stands ready for launch from Wallops Island, Va. Credit: Thom Baur/Orbital Sciences Corp.
 
The Minotaur 1 rocket, partially composed of decommissioned Minuteman missile stages, is scheduled to ignite and soar into space at 8:28 p.m. EDT Tuesday (0028 GMT Wednesday) from pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, a commercial facility located on the grounds of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

The launch window extends for three hours, according to NASA and Air Force officials. But there is a 70 percent chance weather could violate preset rules and force a delay.

After accelerating into orbit on the power of four solid-fueled rocket motors, the Minotaur launch vehicle should release the ORS 1 spacecraft 248 miles above Earth less than 12 minutes after liftoff.

Officials postponed the launch from earlier this year to ensure the Minotaur does not suffer the same fate of a Taurus rocket that failed to jettison its nose cone a few minutes after liftoff in March. A NASA climate research satellite was lost in the March mishap.

Although the rockets are different, they share a similar separation system in the payload fairing, a clamshell-like structure that protects the satellite during the early phases of launch. Once the rocket is above the dense lower atmosphere, the shroud is released to jettison weight.

Orbital Sciences Corp., the contractor for the Taurus and Minotaur rockets, completed its investigation into the March launch failure, according to Lou Amorosi, Orbital's vice president for the Minotaur program.

"They found a design susceptibility in the fairing separation system," Amorosi said. "That is the most probable cause of the failure, and that susceptibility was demonstrated through ground testing. We did do similar testing on Minotaur because we do share some components with Taurus, and what we found is the Minotaur is much less susceptible to this issue."

But "to be absolutely safe" in the wake of the Taurus mishap, Amorosi said Orbital recommended making minor modifications to the Minotaur rocket to ensure the ORS 1 mission is not struck by the same anomaly. The Air Force agreed with the changes, which included a software and a mechanical modification, according to Amorosi.

The ORS 1 satellite is the first operational platform to be fielded by a military division chartered to reduce the costs and timescales of deploying payloads to supply forces with tactical intelligence and reconnaissance imagery.

The Pentagon calls the initiative Operationally Responsive Space. The unit is headquarted at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.

ORS 1 will deliver tactical surveillance and reconnaissance imagery directly to U.S. troops on the battlefield. U.S. Central Command requested the space-based imaging capability for its operations in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, including Afghanistan.

"The satellite is going to provide imagery of the CENTCOM area of operations," said Peter Wegner, director of the ORS office. "You may ask what's so special about that? Point No. 2 is the way we're providing this capability is very unique."

From the perspective of CENTCOM commanders and forces in war zones, the ORS 1 satellite will seem like just another airborne drone.

"In a sense, what we did is we built this satellite so that it looks very much like an airborne sensor to the operators at Central Command," Wegner said. "It's the very same computer and software systems that they use to task airborne imagery systems."


Artist's concept of the ORS 1 satellite. Credit: U.S. Air Force
 
ORS 1 carries an imaging sensor derived from the SYERS 2 camera flying on the Air Force's U-2 spy plane. Like the U-2 sensor, the ORS 1 instrument was built by Goodrich Corp. and installed on the satellite at the company's facility in Danbury, Conn.

"I think the one big difference between this satellite and other satellites you're familiar with is that it's a tactical satellite," said Thom Davis, the ORS 1 mission manager. "And it supports CENTCOM very similarly to the airborne assets. They will use it to augment the support they normally get from the U-2s, the UAVs and other airborne platforms."

Goodrich also supplied a ground system to format the satellite imagery for incorporation into existing processing software and dissemination networks.

Military officials speaking June 24 did not disclose the imaging resolution of the SYERS sensor aboard the ORS 1 satellite, but the instrument's telescope could spot objects as small as 4 feet across, according to previous statements by engineers familiar with the project.

"The system does allow you to take images of objects around the world," Wegner said. "It will give those deployed service members awareness of what's going on around them, what kind of vehicles and what other things may be happening around them."

Developed and declared ready for launch in 30 months, the ORS 1 mission is breaking the paradigm of military space programs, which are prone to high costs, long development cycles and strict requirements, officials said.

The Pentagon established the ORS program to develop tactical satellites with a single mission. After launching two demonstration satellites, TacSat 2 and TacSat 3, the ORS office received orders to build an operational spacecraft in 2008.

CENTCOM commanders delivered a notice of an "urgent need" in late 2008 for an imaging satellite designed to serve troops on the battlefield.

"That started the ORS 1 mission just a little over two-and-a-half years ago, and in a very short time, this team has done something pretty incredible," Wegner said.

The satellite bus was manufactured by ATK in Maryland in 17 months, according to Brendan Regan, the company's vice president of space mission systems.

Then the spacecraft was shipped to Goodrich's plant in Connecticut to receive the SYERS telescope and camera.

Col. Carol Welsch, the Air Force's ORS 1 mission director, said ground controllers plan a 30-day checkout phase before handing control of the craft over to the 1st Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo. [/size]

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/ors1/prelaunch/index.html

Minotaur rocket poised for blastoff[/size]

A Minotaur 1 rocket stands ready to launch a tactical reconnaissance satellite for the U.S. military from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Va.

Photo credit: Thom Baur/Orbital Sciences Corp.[/size]

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/ors1/launchtimeline.html

Minotaur launch timeline[/size]
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: June 27, 2011

T-00:00    Liftoff
The first stage's decommissioned Minuteman 2 M55A1 solid rocket motor ignites to begin the Minotaur 1 rocket's mission. Pitch and roll commands two seconds later will put the rocket on the proper trajectory.

T+00:38    Max Q
Aerodynamic pressure on the vehicle reaches its peak as the Minotaur 1 accelerates through the lower atmosphere.

T+01:01    Stage 1 Sep./Stage 2 Ignition
At an altitude of more than 20 miles, the rocket's first stage exhausts its supply of solid fuel and is jettisoned. The second stage's SR19 motor ignites to continue the flight toward space.

T+01:18    Stage 2 Skirt Jettison
The second stage's aft skirt is jettisoned at an altitude of more than 30 miles.

T+02:13    Stage 2 Separation
After a 72-second burn, the Minotaur rocket's second stage separates at an altitude of more than 75 miles as the vehicle is traveling more than 6,000 mph.

T+02:15    Stage 3 Ignition
Components from the Pegasus rocket program take over as the Alliant Techsystems, Inc. Orion 50XL motor begins its 73-second firing.

T+02:25    Fairing Jettison
The 61-inch titanium payload fairing that protected the satellites during the ride through the lower atmosphere is jettisoned as the rocket ascends into space at an altitude of nearly 85 miles.

T+03:28    Stage 3 Burnout
The Orion 50XL motor completes its burn and the Minotaur 1 enters a coast period lasting more than five minutes, during which the vehicle's altitude will soar to almost 250 miles, the missionтАЩs orbital injection altitude.

T+08:31    Stage 3 Separation
The Minotaur's third stage is released to re-enter Earth's atmosphere.

T+08:42    Stage 4 Ignition
The Orion 38 solid rocket motor is ignited to complete the job of placing the payload into orbit.

T+09:48    Stage 4 Burnout
The fourth stage uses up its propellant and burns out as it enters the targeted orbit at an altitude of about 248 miles and an orbital inclination of 40 degrees.

T+11:48    ORS 1 Separation
The Air Force's ORS 1 satellite is deployed from the Minotaur 1 rocket's fourth stage.

Data source: Orbital Sciences Corp.[/size]

[Salo]

Весьма вероятен перенос пуска по погодным условиям.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/ors1/status.html

12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT)
Launch of the Minotaur 1 rocket from the Virginia coast remains set for 8:28 p.m. EDT Tuesday (0028 GMT Wednesday), but there is a 70 percent chance scattered thunderstorms could violate weather rules.

There is a three-hour launch window for the rocket to blast off Tuesday evening. Otherwise, the flight would be delayed until at least Wednesday. The weather outlook improves later in the week.

Officials gathered Saturday at the Wallops Flight Facility for the launch readiness review. The meeting concluded with a "go" to continue with launch preparations before Tuesday's launch attempt.

The countdown is scheduled to begin at 1:28 p.m. EDT (1728 GMT). Retraction of the launch pad's mobile service shelter should begin a few hours later, exposing the seven-story rocket for the remainder of the countdown.

If launch occurs at the opening of the window, the Minotaur rocket will soar into space at sunset, potentially making for a colorful ascent visible along the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina to New York, including Washington, D.C. [/size]

[Sharicoff]

Пошла трансляция. http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/webcast/ (нужно нажать на кнопку "View Launch")
Либо напрямую: http://mfile.akamai.com/18569/live/reflector:59445.asx?bkup=32644

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/ors1/status.html

3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT)
With about five-and-a-half hours remaining until launch, the countdown is underway at the Wallops Flight Facility for this evening scheduled liftoff of a Minotaur 1 rocket.

The latest weather update continues to show a 70 percent chance of scattered storms violating the launch's strict weather requirements. But officials are hopeful there will be an opportunity to launch the Minotaur during tonight's three-hour window, which extends from 8:28 p.m. to 11:28 p.m. EDT.

The launch team is working no major issues at this point in the countdown. [/size]

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/ors1/status.html

4:56 p.m. EDT (2056 GMT)
Workers have cleared pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport to wait out approaching thunderstorms. The countdown continues to hold at T-minus 3 hours, 52 minutes.

4:36 p.m. EDT (2036 GMT)
The countdown is now holding.

4:35 p.m. EDT (2035 GMT)
The launch team is now powering down the Minotaur vehicle to safe the rocket in light of approaching thunderstorms.

4:33 p.m. EDT (2033 GMT)
With the decision to hold off on retracting the protective service gantry at the Minotaur launch pad, crews are now discussing how to proceed with this evening's countdown. Officials could insert a hold in the countdown to wait for weather to clear.

4:22 p.m. EDT (2022 GMT)
T-minus 4 hours, 6 minutes and counting. After beginning preparations to retract the mobile service shelter from around the Minotaur rocket, the launch team is now closing doors on the gantry to shield the rocket from potential lightning in the area.

There is still a 70 percent chance of unacceptable weather during tonight's launch window.

The next phase of the countdown was expected to be preflight testing of the Minotaur rocket.

3:28 p.m. EDT (1928 GMT)
T-minus 5 hours and counting. [/size]

[Salo]

5:30 p.m. EDT (2130 GMT)
Managers are currently discussing the best way to proceed with tonight's launch attempt. Thunderstorms are approaching the Wallops launch site on the east coast of Virginia, and the launch director has ordered workers to evacuate the launch pad due to the threat of lightning in the area.

Tonight's launch window extends until 11:28 p.m. EDT.[/size]

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/

Minotaur rocket launch called off due to stormy weather[/size]

The U.S. Air Force planned to launch a $226 million mission aboard a Minotaur rocket Tuesday, but the flight was scrubbed by stormy weather near the Virginia launch site. The rocket is carrying a tactical satellite to reshape how deployed forces receive battlefield imagery from space. The launch is rescheduled for Wednesday evening at 8:28 p.m. EDT. [/size]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

June 29/30     Minotaur 1  •  ORS 1
Launch window: 0028-0328 GMT on 30th (8:28-11:28 p.m. EDT on 29th)
Launch site: Pad 0B, Wallops Island, Va.[/size]

[Salo]

Сегодня ночью в тот же час.

[Брабонт]

Как-то не соображу, что обозначают кубики 6 и 5 на патче?

[Liss]

!CARF 06/145 ZDC AIRSPACE DCC ON NASA ORS1 STATIONARY RESERVATION WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY 3740N/7252W 3721N/7137W 3643N/7137W 3631N/7222W 3637N/7239W 3713N/7240W WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY 3753N/7520W 3752N/7516W 3751N/7517W. SFC-UNL WEF 1106300000-1106300330

!CARF 06/146 (KZNY A0349/11) ZNY AIRSPACE DCC ON NASA ORS1 STATIONARY RESERVATION WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY 3409N/6557W 3541N/6510W 3517N/6301W 3309N/6407W WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY 3740N/7252W 3721N/7137W 3643N/7137W 3631N/7222W 3637N/7239W 3713N/7240W. SFC-UNL WEF 1106300000-1106300330

Есть также на ночь 30/1 и 1-2 июля.

[X]

A2636/11 - STATIONARY AIRSPACE RESERVATION WILL TAKE PLACE AREA:
2135N03632W - 2001N03426W - 1743N03627W - 1816N03737W - 1918N03826W.
LATERAL SEPARATION OF 60NM WILL BE APPLIED WITHIN MNPS AIRSPACE AND LATERAL SEPARATION OF 120NM WILL BE APPLIED OUTSIDE MNPS AIRSPACE. SFC - UNL, DAILY 2330-0400, 27 JUN 23:30 2011 UNTIL 11 JUL 04:00 2011. CREATED: 27 JUN 14:24 2011

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/ors1/status.html

5:28 p.m. EDT (2128 GMT)
T-minus 3 hours and counting. After completing a round of flight termination system, guidance and navigation, communication and steering checks on the Minotaur rocket, the launch team is proceeding with preparations to retract the mobile shelter at the pad.

4:55 p.m. EDT (2055 GMT)
Officials have cleared the data issue relating to NASA's tracking satellites, but engineers continue to troubleshoot launch support equipment causing a data flow anomaly between the ORS 1 spacecraft and the blockhouse at Wallops.

Meanwhile, the Minotaur is powered up and the launch team is beginning a series of preflight tests.

4:17 p.m. EDT (2017 GMT)
The launch team is also working an issue with test data transmitted through NASA's fleet of Tracking and Data Relay Satellites. The orbiting satellite network will monitor the Minotaur rocket's ascent into space.

3:35 p.m. EDT (1935 GMT)
The launch team is discussing an anomaly with launch support equipment reported by the spacecraft team. No details on the problem are available at this time.

Meanwhile, the Minotaur rocket team is preparing to power up the launch vehicle for the first phase of testing in this afternoon's countdown. The weather outlook as improved again, and there is now a 100 percent chance of acceptable conditions for liftoff this evening.

3:28 p.m. EDT (1928 GMT)
T-minus 5 hours and counting. The launch team is on console for this evening's countdown.

1:28 p.m. EDT (1728 GMT)
T-minus 7 hours and counting. The countdown has started for tonight's planned blastoff of a Minotaur 1 rocket at 8:28 p.m. EDT (0028 GMT) from Wallops Island, Va.

Weather continues to look favorable for tonight's three-hour launch window. Storms forced the launch team to scrub liftoff yesterday.[/size]

[Salo]

Трансляция ожидается тут: http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/webcast/

Уже идёт!

http://mfile.akamai.com/18569/live/reflector:59445.asx?bkup=32644

[ZOOR]

Posted by RCC on 2011-06-29 at 22:07:49 EDT
FTS issue being discussed and determining time needed to recycle batteries for another attempt tonight.

Posted by RCC on 2011-06-29 at 22:04:20 EDT
Please stand by for an update on the length of the hold

Posted by RCC on 2011-06-29 at 22:03:55 EDT
reason for hold: Unable to switch flight temination system from external power to internal power.

Posted by RCC on 2011-06-29 at 21:57:37 EDT
Hold

Posted by RCC on 2011-06-29 at 21:55:48 EDT
Range is go for launch

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/

Minotaur rocket soars into the night from Virginia[/size]

After overcoming several issues in the countdown, a Minotaur rocket was launched from the Virginia coastline at 11:09 p.m. EDT (0309 GMT) carrying a tactical imaging satellite for the U.S. military. [/size]

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/ors1/status.html

11:35 p.m. EDT (0335 GMT Thurs.)
Once the ORS 1 satellite separated from the Minotaur rocket, it was supposed to deploy its solar panels to generate electricity, then begin a month-long checkout phase to confirm the spacecraft is in good health.

"We are planning on a 30-day launch and early orbit period, at the completion of which we look forward to handing the satellite control authority over to the 1st Space Operations Squadron and Schriever Air Force Base," said Air Force Col. Carol Welsch, the ORS 1 mission director, in remarks before the launch.

"We're going to check out the systems themselves and make sure the spacecraft is operating as we intended it to," Welsch said.

The spacecraft will serve U.S. troops deployed under the auspices of U.S. Central Command, which oversees military action in Afghanistan, Iraq and other theaters in the Middle East.

It will give military forces another source of tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data. Based on the imaging sensor from the U-2 spy plane, the ORS 1 satellite's primary payload will deliver snapshots from an altitude of 250 miles directly to commanders on the battlefield.

The military has not released the specific capabilities of the imager, but it should be sharp enough to see vehicles, structures and enemy movements.

Although existing satellites provide better coverage, their images don't go directly to the battlefield. They are used by intelligence analysts in the United States to help guide strategic decisions on longer timescales.

Peter Wegner, director of the military's Operationally Responsive Space office, says the ORS 1 satellite will look more like an unmanned aerial drone than a spacecraft to military operators.

"In a sense, what we did is we built this satellite so that it looks very much like an airborne sensor to the operators at Central Command," Wegner said before launch. "It's the very same computer and software systems that they use to task airborne ISR assets and airborne imagery systems. They will use those exact same assets to task this spacecraft. The data will come down in a very similar format using some of the very same radios and links that we use on airborne systems today."

11:26 p.m. EDT (0326 GMT Thurs.)
Tonight's flight extends the Minotaur rocket's record to 12 successful satellite launches into Earth orbit. The Minotaur 1 configuration that launched tonight has now achieved 10 successes in 10 launches since 2000, while the larger Minotaur 4 booster has conducted two flawless satellite missions.

11:21 p.m. EDT (0321 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 12 minutes. Spacecraft separation! The 957-pound ORS 1 spacecraft has been released from the Minotaur's fourth stage to begin collecting battlefield imagery for U.S. forces deployed in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

11:20 p.m. EDT (0320 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 11 minutes. Deployment of the ORS 1 satellite is scheduled to occur in about one minute.

11:19 p.m. EDT (0319 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 10 minutes, 30 seconds. Telemetry is now being received through NASA's tracking satellite network.

11:19 p.m. EDT (0319 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 10 minutes. The fourth stage has completed its burn and the vehicle should be in orbit.

11:17 p.m. EDT (0317 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 8 minutes, 50 seconds. Third stage separation and fourth stage ignition are confirmed. The fourth stage Orion 38 solid rocket motor will burn for about 66 seconds to finish the job of placing the ORS 1 satellite into orbit.

11:16 p.m. EDT (0316 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 7 minutes, 30 seconds. The third stage will be released at about T+plus 8 minutes, 31 seconds, and the fourth stage will ignite at about T+8 minutes, 48 seconds.

11:15 p.m. EDT (0315 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 6 minutes, 45 seconds. The Minotaur is now 900 miles southeast of the launch site at an altitude of 230 miles. It is traveling at 12,000 mph.

11:15 p.m. EDT (0315 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 6 minutes. No problems have been reported thus far in this 10th flight of a Minotaur 1 rocket.

11:14 p.m. EDT (0314 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 5 minutes. Systems aboard the Minotaur continue to look good as the rocket coasts to orbital altitude.

11:12 p.m. EDT (0312 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 3 minutes, 30 seconds. The third stage has burned out and the Minotaur is beginning a coast phase lasting more than five minutes. The rocket will fly to an altitude of nearly 250 miles, where the third stage will separate and the fourth stage will ignite to reach orbital velocity.

11:12 p.m. EDT (0312 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 3 minutes. Normal vehicle performance reported by the launch team.

11:11 p.m. EDT (0311 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The nose cone protecting the payloads during the early portions of the launch has been jettisoned.

11:11 p.m. EDT (0311 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 2 minutes, 20 seconds. Second stage separation and third stage ignition confirmed.

The Minotaur is now being powered by components from the Pegasus rocket. The Orion 50XL third stage will fire for about 73 seconds.

11:11 p.m. EDT (0311 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 2 minutes. Minotaur is 55 miles in altitude, 70 miles east of the launch pad, traveling at 5,800 mph.

11:10 p.m. EDT (0310 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 61 seconds. The M55A1 first stage motor has completed its burn and separated from the SR19 second stage motor. Both stages are heritage motors from the Minuteman ballistic missile.

11:09 p.m. EDT (0309 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 38 seconds. Passing through the area of maximum aerodynamic pressure on the rocket. Velocity is 1,750 mph.

11:09 p.m. EDT (0309 GMT Thurs.)
T+plus 15 seconds. The rocket has pitched on course for the climb to space over the Atlantic Ocean.

11:09 p.m. EDT (0309 GMT Thurs.)
LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the Minotaur 1 rocket launching the ORS 1 satellite to deliver battlefield imagery to deployed military forces. [/size]

[Salo]

Видео старта:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBiMGLEd0RU&feature=player_embedded

[Salo]

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/06/live-orbital-minotaur-i-launch-ors-1/

http://www.spacenews.com/launch/110630-ors1-sat-orbit.html

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/ors1/index.html

[Salo]

[Salo]

http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/ImagesMultimedia/Images/SpaceLaunch/

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/ors1/launch/index.html

[Sharicoff]

Определенная интрига заключается в том, станет сабж ЮЭсЭйем-231 или нет?

[Sharicoff]

Элементов на ORS-1 нет (это не удивительно), но параметры орбиты появились:

37728    2011-029A    92.67 мин.    40°    410 х 401 км
37729    2011-029B      92.63 мин.    40°    406 х 400 км

[Sharicoff]

О! Наконец то. Официальные имена от НОРАДа - ORS 1 (USA 231) и MINOTAUR R/B. Параметры орбит со спейстрека, кстати, исчезли.

[Sharicoff]

Ета... Граждане, а никому кроме меня не показалось, что орбита сабжа - один в один орбита первого X-37B?  :roll:

[Брабонт]

Не совсем, поскольку отличается "резонанс" (Старый сейчас что-нибудь скажет..., но в целом схема 40/400, похоже, является штатной.

[Sharicoff]

"Резонанс"?  :roll: Кого с чем?

[Брабонт]

Периодов вращения спутника и Земли. Те самые 46:3 и т.п.

[Sharicoff]

А, ну то есть кратность.

[Старый]

Ета... Граждане, а никому кроме меня не показалось, что орбита сабжа - один в один орбита первого X-37B?  :roll:

Опс! Вот это номер!
 Первая версия - умышленная дезинформация. Х-37 вывели на ту же орбиту чтоб все подумали что он оптический разведчик.

[Sharicoff]

У меня для орбиты 40° 400 км на пальцах получилась кратность 8 суток (123 витка)

[Брабонт]

Первая версия - умышленная дезинформация. Х-37 вывели на ту же орбиту чтоб все подумали что он оптический разведчик.

Но ORS-то точно телескоп с батареями. Так что напрашивается обратный вывод, о родстве задач?

[Старый]

Первая версия - умышленная дезинформация. Х-37 вывели на ту же орбиту чтоб все подумали что он оптический разведчик.

Но ORS-то точно телескоп с батареями. Так что напрашивается обратный вывод, о родстве задач?

Я ж и говорю: специально вывели на аналогичную орбиту чтобы напросился вывод о родстве задач.
 И вобще все эти ОРСы и Таксаты на 40-градусных орбитах весьма подозрительны.

[Брабонт]

И снова не вижу повода для подозрений. В настоящий момент США ведут боевые действия в регионах до широты 38 градусов. Повышая наклонение, проигрываем в энергетике и частоте пролётов.

[Старый]

И снова не вижу повода для подозрений. В настоящий момент США ведут боевые действия в регионах до широты 38 градусов. Повышая наклонение, проигрываем в энергетике и частоте пролётов.

Подозрительно то что все эти микрозапуски якобы связаны с текущими войнами. Вот типа никак не воюется американцам без Х-37, Таксатов и ОРСов...

[Rofman]

Старый пишет:
 

Подозрительно то что все эти микрозапуски якобы связаны с текущими войнами. Вот типа никак не воюется американцам без Х-37, Таксатов и ОРСов...

Запуски X-37b связаны с испытаниями качественно новых, перспективных технологий перемещения в космическом пространстве. Непричастных просят не беспокоится...

[Космос-3794]

Подозрительно то что все эти микрозапуски якобы связаны с текущими войнами. Вот типа никак не воюется американцам без Х-37, Таксатов и ОРСов...

Поддержка войск на ТВД основная задача систем оперативного доступа в космос. Почему бы не обкатывать их в реальных условиях? Вполне логично.

[Старый]

Поддержка войск на ТВД основная задача систем оперативного доступа в космос. Почему бы не обкатывать их в реальных условиях? Вполне логично.

Отнюдь. Поддержка войск на ТВД - основная задача войсковой оперативно-тактической разведки, в том числе авиационной. Приписывание этой задачи космическим средствам какраз и выглядит подозрительным.

[Космос-3794]

[Satellite TODAY 09-22-11] The U.S. Air Force's Operationally Responsive Space-1 (ORS-1) satellite was declared fully operational following successful on-orbit deployment and checkout of all systems, the spacecraft's bus manufacturer ATK announced Sept. 21.
   ORS-1, launched in June on a Minotaur rocket, is the first satellite in the U.S. Department of Defense's Operationally Responsive Space program, which is designed to support combatant command operations as an operational satellite. The ORS-1 mission also focuses on the quick deployment of a small satellite with innovative sensor technologies to provide real-time support to commanders in the battlefield.
   The ORS-1 satellite bus is based on the design ATK developed for the Pentagon's TacSat-3 satellite with the addition of a propulsion module. TacSat-3 launched in 2009, transitioned to full operation in October 2010 to support warfighters in the battlefield.
   The ORS-1 program is managed and executed by the U.S. Space Development and Test Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base.

http://www.satellitetoday.com/military/headlines/U-S-Air-Force-Declares-ORS-1-Satellite-Fully-Operational_37574.html

[Salo]

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20120322/C4ISR02/303220010/Notebook-Central-Command-8217-s-ORS-1-Satellite-Goes-Fully-Operational

Notebook: Central Command's ORS-1 Satellite Goes Fully Operational
Mar. 22, 2012 - 06:14PM |
 By BEN IANNOTTA

The U.S. Air Force says it will continue operating the ORS-1 imaging satellite as long as ground commanders want its imagery, a strategy that could effectively separate the program from an anticipated debate in 2012 over whether to continue funding the broader Operationally Responsive Space program.

The service also acknowledges, however, that there is no planned successor for the spacecraft.

The Air Force declared ORS-1 operational in January after months of on-orbit tests of its camera by forces in the field. The ORS-1 camera is a larger version of the cameras installed on U-2 aircraft and flown over Afghanistan and other hotspots.

The spacecraft was launched last June and received "early combatant command acceptance" in September, the Air Force said.

"The 1st and 7th Space Operations squadrons at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado will continue to operate ORS-1to support CENTCOM needs until it is deemed no longer needed or is no longer capable," said Air Force spokeswoman Auburn Davis in a written response to a question about whether the fate of ORS-1 is tied to the broader ORS program.

Goodrich, the ORS-1 prime contractor, built a larger telescope version of the U-2's Senior Year Electro-optical Reconnaissance System 2 camera. The camera was installed on a satellite frame provided by ATK.

ORS-1 was the first satellite designed and built entirely under the Operationally Responsive Space program.

Under ORS, the military would keep hardware and processes in place to rapidly launch satellites and sensors. The intelligence collections by those sensors would be controlled by forces in the field instead of by agencies back in the U.S.

The ORS program has become controversial; some critics questioned the financial feasibility of storing satellite components and sensors just in case they are needed.

Perhaps tellingly, the Air Force issued a combined "initial/final" operational declaration for the satellite.

"Because ORS-1 was produced in response to a USCENTCOM Urgent Need and no follow-on capability is planned, [initial operational capability] and [final operational capability] declaration were combined," the Davis said.